Another hero wannabe's self inflicted wound

[henryclay]

While the Supreme Court is mulling over the right for people to lie and cheat true warriors out of the honors they deserve, the list of bottom feeders continues to grow. This one fooled the Army, Senator Spector, the entire Pennsylvania state legislature, and no one knows who else.


_{This is what a Stolen Valor turd looks like when he is addressing a High School class in honor of local veterans}

He managed to become president of a Pennsylvania chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, where he gained access to records behind medals for valor and used them to build a personal history that would shame the bravest of the brave. He awarded himself the nation's second highest medal for bravery, the Distinguished Service Cross, (he fell on a grenade to save his buddies), plus the third highest, a Silver Star, and two additional bogus Purple Hearts, including the one for falling on the grenade.

Not being content with those scams, he petitioned to have a "belated" Medal of Honor awarded to him. He was uncovered by an observant researcher who began to ask questions after he kept seeing this name appear in the records and remebered the events as having been those of other people but now attributed to this turd.

And the saddest part of it all is that he actually did receive a Bronze Star and three Purplo Hearts for his service in Viet Nam.

www.lehighvalleylive.com/warren-county/express-times/index.ssf/2011/10/terry_calandra_fooled_army_con.html

[henryclay]

Yeah, toughtimes. He missed his calling, though. He should have moved to Massachusetts and ran against John Kerry for the Senate. Kerry ducked his sorry tail and ran after his third, , , , ahem, , , perpul hart.

Why were they "perpul harts"? Because at least one aqctually was self inflicted, and his own Swiftboat unit wouldn't approve any of them because he never needed medical care. He got them approved by somebody else as part of his effort to get out of Viet Nam. His C.O. DID approve that part. "Get the worthless SOB off my watch, I don't care where you send him."

Just think what this character could have done with that to impress Pennsylvania voters about his staying power as opposed to dipstick John Kerry..

[handyman2]

True hero's and medal winners rarely mention them or even talk about them. You ask and they get a far away look in their eyes.

[EVT1]

Henry has a problem with stolen valor- but strangely no problem with shitting on a veteran that actually earned his medals because he is a democrat.

[henryclay]

Oct 26, 2011 19:12:45 GMT -5 EVT1 said:

Henry has a problem with stolen valor- but strangely no problem with shitting on a veteran that actually earned his medals because he is a democrat.

Please notice, evt, that I have not mentioned political leanings, so I wonder why you would. But thank you for the opening.

Kerry not only funked out on his crew-mates, he put them in danger while he abandoned his boat and went off chasing a wounded teenager with an empty rocket launcher through the boonies where he caught up to him and killed him. He should have taken the kid prisoner and tended to his wounds.

He came back, resigned his commission and immediately joined Jane Fonda in the anti-war crusade, lied to the congress and anybody else that would give him a second glance, and then went back to Viet Nam as one of the leaders of a delegation to get information of over a thousand POW's that were known to be in captivity, only to come back and say any reports that they had ever been captives was wrong. He wrote off our POW's just that easily.

He also has a wall dedicated to him by the North Vietnamese in their "Victory Museum" because of his anti-war activities.

And, oh yes, the POW investigation delegation was made up of Republicans and Democrats alike, and they all sang to the same music when they came back. He is not the only one guilty of abandoning his countrymen. They all did it. And to my knowledge none of them has ever visited a military unit since.

But this Terry Calandra creep, with all his worthless lies, would still make a better candidate for the Senate if they were matched on military records alone.

[Tennesseer]

"He also has a wall dedicated to him by the North Vietnamese in their "Victory Museum" because of his anti-war activities."

There is no North Vietnamese today. Only Vietnamese. There is no wall dedicated to John Kerry. Just a single picture taken in 1993 in Vietnam.

www.snopes.com/politics/kerry/museum.asp

The photograph displayed above, of Senator John Kerry meeting with Vietnamese officials, is on display in the War Remnants Museum (formerly the Museum of American War Crimes) in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon).

The significance of the photograph's presence and placement within the museum is subject to considerable debate, however. The picture on display does not capture John Kerry engaged in an anti-war activity (although such photographs are plentiful and easy to obtain), nor does it depict or describe him as an anti-war protester. The picture shows Senator John Kerry, a duly authorized representative of the United States government, meeting with Vietnamese officials in 1993 (long after the end of American military involvement in Vietnam) as part of a "high-level delegation" sent to Vietnam by President Clinton "to press for further progress on unresolved POW/MIA issues." The caption below the photograph makes no reference to John Kerry's anti-war activities, nor does it even identify him by name — it reads simply:

Mr. Do Muoi, Secretary General of the Vietnam Communist Party met with Congressmen and Veterans Delegation in Vietnam (July 15-18, 1993)

[cereb]

www.snopes.com/politics/kerry/museum.asp

[cereb]

Oct 26, 2011 20:44:44 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

"He also has a wall dedicated to him by the North Vietnamese in their "Victory Museum" because of his anti-war activities."

There is no North Vietnamese today. Only Vietnamese. There is no wall dedicated to John Kerry. Just a single picture taken in 1993 in Vietnam.

www.snopes.com/politics/kerry/museum.asp

The photograph displayed above, of Senator John Kerry meeting with Vietnamese officials, is on display in the War Remnants Museum (formerly the Museum of American War Crimes) in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon).

The significance of the photograph's presence and placement within the museum is subject to considerable debate, however. The picture on display does not capture John Kerry engaged in an anti-war activity (although such photographs are plentiful and easy to obtain), nor does it depict or describe him as an anti-war protester. The picture shows Senator John Kerry, a duly authorized representative of the United States government, meeting with Vietnamese officials in 1993 (long after the end of American military involvement in Vietnam) as part of a "high-level delegation" sent to Vietnam by President Clinton "to press for further progress on unresolved POW/MIA issues." The caption below the photograph makes no reference to John Kerry's anti-war activities, nor does it even identify him by name — it reads simply:

Mr. Do Muoi, Secretary General of the Vietnam Communist Party met with Congressmen and Veterans Delegation in Vietnam (July 15-18, 1993)

Great minds...

[Tennesseer]

Versus...

[cereb]

lol!

[mmhmm]

This would seem to fit better into the All Things Military thread, so I'll move it there.

mmhmm, P&M Moderator

[henryclay]

I appreciate and thank you for your interest in the military, mmhmm, but this thread is hardly about the military. It is about how one individual has been able to use his knowledge of military records to falsely and improperly influence at least one sitting US Senator and the ENTIRE Pennsylvania state legislature to bestow fraudulent honors on him. It is educational if nothing else and points up the enormity of what the Supreme Court has before it.

[EVT1]

Whatever Henry- all I know is the man went to Vietnam and saw action- regardless of whether you think he deserved a medal or not he was there in the shit- which is a hell of a lot more than most of us have done and it should be commended. You can take issue with his post military activities, but he earned that right to speak his mind, good or bad. To say he didn't earn a medal or ran like a coward is a low blow- and if you weren't there with him than all you have is the word of a bunch of other politically motivated asshats to go on. You don't hear the liberals calling John McCain a fraud, I didn't see an ad from the Vietnam POW's for Truth last election.

[henryclay]

Yeah, Rachets. It strikes home to a lot of people, and understandably in a very negative sense. I managed to get out after one short and one long tour with my whole hide. My DD-214 has the usual been-there-done-thats and a couple of honorable mentions on it that no one is interested in, but there are 71 names on the wall that I once knew who they belonged to. I grew up under the wing of one of them. Another one went POW and did his part to keep Kerry out of the White House. One wasn't determined until a Vietnamese peasant tuned in his dog tags and part of his Utes in 1993. They found his remains and sent them back in 1994. I was at a reunion in 1999 when one of our Corporals was finally awarded his Purple Heart. He was past middle aged by then. The Assistant Commandant came to the reunion and pinned it on him. To see honorable men like that have to compete with the likes of self proclaimed heroes just makes me sick.

Thanks for what you're doing and have done. Keep your head on a swivel and good luck to you.

[henryclay]

This message has been deleted.

Deminmaine- Moderator.

[deziloooooo]

Oct 26, 2011 19:12:45 GMT -5 EVT1 said:

Henry has a problem with stolen valor- but strangely no problem with shitting on a veteran that actually earned his medals because he is a democrat.

Thanks for the comment..why this is still a issue with a few...lordy , never die ..

one does not have to lose a limb, have one hanging off , held on by a few ligaments to qualify..just be hit , and of those "just hits"..just a bit more to the left or right and all of a sudden they are not what you call minor..

The man did volunteer and could have stayed home..did end up on Swifts in the rivers, tough duty..did go back and get a G Beret who fell over board , under fire, did, stupidly , but he was a young Lt JG I believe , run after a "Charlie " after beaching his boat, bad decisiion I guess, but again, just a Lt JG and scared or not, who knows , the man/boy was armed, brought him down, brought back his weapon I believe..and if he wanted to take advantage of the three wounds and out system, to me, that is a smart person...never knew about that one before..

as far as being elected by his constituents, that's up to the Mass voters, and I guess they appove of what he is doing in office..seems to me has been a resoponsible member of the Senate..you don't like his politics, don't vote for him..but over all h seems to be a above elected one in quality ...IMHO..of course. ;D

As far as these wannabees..what can I say..that they are found out and then humiliated..sounds fine to me...

that this one actually served, was decorated and still had to make him self out to be a Audie Murphy...possible he lost something when he was out there... in a way I pity him, wonmder if there isn't more to the story and his doing what he did then is being reported...

[henryclay]

I'm curious.

A poster tells me I "ain't got no shit" and when I respond, , , , without resorting to the use of invectives, , , , a moderator tells me I am arrogant and climbs on my case. When another poster tells someone to "get the fuck out of my kitchen", nobody raises an eyebrow, but when I tell a troll to blow it out your ass, my post gets deleted.

I try to play by the rules, but depending on who is doing the posting, the rules seem to keep changing. I'd like to please know what the rules are for ME. Is there a moderator who can lay the rules out as they apply to ME? And if they are any different than they are for any other poster can I be told who those rules DON'T apply to and why is there a difference?

All I am asking for is to be able to post to people who have a different set off rules than I do, and to be able to do it within whatever the established decorum calls for.

Is there a moderator who can help set me straight, please?

[henryclay]

the exact same comment got deleted before, what makes you think it was okay to post again?

knock it off.
-chiver78/Moderator

[Virgil Showlion]

Henry: the rules are for you what they are for everyone else.

You can't pile together every mod call that didn't go your way into a single post and throw in "blow it out your fanny" for good measure.

Cereb's "you ain't got sh__" grandstanding last weekend was juvenile, and your opening up on evt here is making you look the same. Show some respect for your fellow posters.

[henryclay]

Of course you're right, Virgil. And I would have expected someone else to make the pronouncement. I appreciate your input.

All I have asked for is that respect be a two way street. It is obviously not the case.

Thanks.

[reformeddaytrader]

Oct 28, 2011 11:56:15 GMT -5 henryclay said:

Of course you're right, Virgil. And I would have expected someone else to make the pronouncement. I appreciate your input.

All I have asked for is that respect be a two way street. It is obviously not the case.

Thanks.

I agree 100% with Henry Clay ...and has probably forgot more about the Military than his detractors/stalkers will ever know..

[henryclay]

But that's the problem here, rdt. The post is not about the military. It's about someone who was once in the military and then turned his experience into a crusade of flim flam and lies. He used everything from highly placed, influential politicians to school children to scam the entire Pennsylvania legislature.

The reaction to the story is the saddest part of all. Even sadder than the scumbag ex-Army puke himself.

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

Oct 26, 2011 20:28:48 GMT -5 henryclay said:

Oct 26, 2011 19:12:45 GMT -5 EVT1 said:

Henry has a problem with stolen valor- but strangely no problem with shitting on a veteran that actually earned his medals because he is a democrat.

Please notice, evt, that I have not mentioned political leanings, so I wonder why you would. But thank you for the opening.

Kerry not only funked out on his crew-mates, he put them in danger while he abandoned his boat and went off chasing a wounded teenager with an empty rocket launcher through the boonies where he caught up to him and killed him. He should have taken the kid prisoner and tended to his wounds.

He came back, resigned his commission and immediately joined Jane Fonda in the anti-war crusade, lied to the congress and anybody else that would give him a second glance, and then went back to Viet Nam as one of the leaders of a delegation to get information of over a thousand POW's that were known to be in captivity, only to come back and say any reports that they had ever been captives was wrong. He wrote off our POW's just that easily.

He also has a wall dedicated to him by the North Vietnamese in their "Victory Museum" because of his anti-war activities.

And, oh yes, the POW investigation delegation was made up of Republicans and Democrats alike, and they all sang to the same music when they came back. He is not the only one guilty of abandoning his countrymen. They all did it. And to my knowledge none of them has ever visited a military unit since.

But this Terry Calandra creep, with all his worthless lies, would still make a better candidate for the Senate if they were matched on military records alone.

Way to lay it down like it is.

Kerry threw his medals over the White House fence. That's how proud he is of his service.

Kerry is a sad joke of a human being. He's only a hero to the Viet Cong.

[reformeddaytrader]

Oct 28, 2011 16:12:07 GMT -5 henryclay said:

But that's the problem here, rdt. The post is not about the military. It's about someone who was once in the military and then turned his experience into a crusade of flim flam and lies. He used everything from highly placed, influential politicians to school children to scam the entire Pennsylvania legislature.

The reaction to the story is the saddest part of all. Even sadder than the scumbag ex-Army puke himself.

Yea but as you know Henry, your antagonists could care less about the subject matter..

[reformeddaytrader]

Oct 26, 2011 19:12:45 GMT -5 EVT1 said:

Henry has a problem with stolen valor- but strangely no problem with shitting on a veteran that actually earned his medals because he is a democrat.

I suggest you read this legal plea by Terry Calandra and then you should apologize to Henry Clay for your negative comment:

media.lehighvalleylive.com/warren-county_impact/other/terry-calandra-plea-memo.pdf

[reformeddaytrader]

Oct 29, 2011 9:20:37 GMT -5 @lonewolf said:

With our Internet connections and our ability to do research, why would anyone even attempt something like this?
I think the biggest punishment for people like this is to go down in a public flame of shame.

I am surprised that the Army didn't checkout Terry Calandra or vetted his military records which are very easy to do...

There has a been a lot of "Stolen Valor" news stories lately and some are really pathetic but the public buys these phoney war stories and rewards those who spin them.

I think Clandra is pathetic and could spend @ four years behind bars however very few of these guys who are found guilty of "Stolen Valor" serve any jail time and some even try their act again.

Lies About Military Medals Get Top Court Review in Speech Case
Greg Stohr, ©2011 Bloomberg News

Oct. 17 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to decide whether the Constitution's free speech clause protects people who falsely claim to have been awarded military medals.

The justices today said they will hear arguments on the 2005 Stolen Valor Act, which punishes people with as much as a year in prison for lying about receiving a medal. A federal appeals court declared the law unconstitutional, and President Barack Obama's administration is appealing.

The law "plays a vital role in safeguarding the integrity and efficacy of the government's military honors system," U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli argued in the administration's bid for high court review.

The case before the justices involves Xavier Alvarez, one of the first people charged under the law. In 2005 Alvarez was serving as an elected member of the local water board in Pomona, California, when he said at a board meeting that he had served 25 years in the Marines and had been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. In truth, he had never served in the military.

He was indicted for violating the Stolen Valor Act and pleaded guilty, while reserving his right to appeal on First Amendment grounds. Alvarez was sentenced to three years of probation, a $5,000 fine and 416 hours of community service. A divided federal appeals court in San Francisco threw out the guilty plea.

Prosecutors have filed charges under the Stolen Valor act in 45 cases since the law was enacted, Alvarez said in court papers.

The Obama administration says previous Supreme Court cases establish that false statements are entitled to only limited First Amendment protection. Alvarez says that's not the case, contending that the court has never carved out a First Amendment exception for lies.

The case, which the court will consider and decide in the first half of next year, is United States v. Alvarez, 11-210.


www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/10/17/bloomberg_articlesLT7QXY1A74E9.DTL

[henryclay]

Wannabe, Xavier Alvarez, was whacked in California. He claimed that as a Marine Embassy guarsd he was awarded the MOH for saving the U.S. Ambassador AND the flag atop the Embassy in Tehran during the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis. He also claimed a Silver Star, Purple Heart, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, Combat Action Ribbon, (USMC), Combat Infantryman's Badge, (Army), and two sets of jump wings. And those are just the ones I can identify. His photo has about a week's pay tied up in fruit salad on his phony ARMY uniform. He was never in any military service.

On top of lying about his "record" in the military, he was convicted of insurance fraud for funneling his employer's money to his ex-wife.

In the legal melee that ensued Alvarez was convicted, but with the help of the ACLU that didn't end the melee. Here's where they took it first:

One might conclude the embarrassment of getting caught lying would put a quick end to Alvarez’s fraud but not so. Instead, he took his case to a California federal appeals court. Earlier this week, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that lying, however odious, is protected by the First Amendment.

The judge presiding over the case, Judge Milan Smith, Jr., had this to say: “If false factual statements are unprotected, then the government can prosecute not only the man who tells tall tales of winning the congressional Medal of Honor but also the JDater who falsely claims he’s Jewish and the dentist who assures you it won’t hurt a bit. Phrases such as I’m working late tonight, honey; I got stuck in traffic; and I didn't inhale could all be made into crimes.”

We need more federal judges with opinions like that of Judge Milan Smith, Jr., don't we, , , , , NOT!!!

www.pownetwork.org/phonies/phonies388.htm

www.calbarjournal.com/November2011/TopHeadlines/TH1.aspx

[reformeddaytrader]

Michell Paige's Website tries to keep the list of Living Medal of Honor Receipients updated but sadly Paige has passed on to his eternal reward




Living Medal of Honor Recipients

Alphabetical Listing
[Go Here for a Detailed List]

Baca, John (USA) - RVN Hagemeister, Charles (USA) - RVN Norris, Thomas (USN) - RVN
Baker, John (USA) - RVN Hawk, John (USA) - WWII O'Malley, Robert (USMC) - RVN
Ballard, Donald (USN) - RVN Herda, Frank (USA) - RVN Oresko, Nicholas (USA) - WWII
Barfoot, Van (USA) - WWII Hernandez, Rodolfo (USA) - Korea Patterson, Robert (USA) - RVN
Barnum, Harvey (USMC) - RVN Hudner, Thomas (USN) - Korea Petry, Leroy A (USA) - GWOT
Beikirch, Gary (USA) - RVN Ingman, Einar (USA) - Korea Pittman, Richard (USMC) - RVN
Brady, Patrick (USA) - RVN Ingram, Robert (USN) - RVN Rascon, Alfred (USA) - RVN
Bucha, Paul (USA) - RVN Inouye, Daniel (USA) - WWII Ray, Ronald (USA) - RVN
Cafferata, Hector (USMC) - Korea Jackson, Arthur (USMC) - WWII Roberts, Gordon (USA) - RVN
Cavaiani, Jon (USA) - RVN Jackson, Joe (US Air Force) - RVN Ross, Wilburn (USA) - WWII
Charette, William (USN) - Korea Jacobs, Jack (USA) - RVN Rosser, Ronald (USA) - Korea
Colalillo, Michael (USA) - WWII Jenkins, Don (USA) - RVN Rubin, Tibor (USA) - Korea
Coolidge, Charles (USA) - WWII Kelley, Thomas (USN) - RVN Sakato, George (USA) - WWII
Crandall, Bruce (USA) - RVN Kellogg, Allan (USMC) - RVN Sasser, Clarence (USA) - RVN
Currey, Francis (USA) - WWII Kerrey, Joseph (USN) - RVN Simanek, Robert (USMC) - Korea
Davis, Sammy (USA) - RVN Kinsman, Thomas (USA) - RVN Sprayberry, James (USA) - RVN
Day, George (US Air Force) - RVN Lee, Howard (USMC) - RVN Stone, James (USA) - Korea
Dewey, Duane (USMC) - Korea Lemon, Peter (USA) - RVN Stumpf, Kenneth (USA) - RVN
Dix, Drew (USA) - RVN Liteky, Charles (USA) - RVN Taylor, James (USA) - RVN
Donlon, Roger (USA) - RVN Littrell, Gary (USA) - RVN Thacker, Brian (USA) - RVN
Ehlers, Walter (USA) - WWII Livingston, James (USMC) - RVN Thornton, Michael (USN) - RVN
Ferguson, Frederick (USA) - RVN Lynch, Allan (USA) - RVN Thorsness, Leo (US Air Force) - RVN
Fisher, Bernard (US Air Force) - RVN Marm, Walter (USA) - RVN Vargas, Jay (USMC) - RVN
Fitzmaurice, Michael (USA) - RVN Maxwell, Robert (USA) - WWII West, Ernest (USA) - Korea
Fleming, James (US Air Force) - RVN McGarity, Vernon (USA) - WWII Wetzel, Gary (USA) - RVN
Foley, Robert (USA) - RVN McGinty, John (USMC) - RVN Williams, Hershel (USMC) - WWII
Fox, Wesley (USMC) - RVN Miyamura, Hiroshi (USA) - Korea
Fritz, Harold (USA) - RVN Mize, Ola (USA) - Korea
Giunta, Salvatore (USA) - GWOT Modrzejewski, Robert (USMC) - RVN


Eta many will recognize this name:Jacobs, Jack (USA) - RVN a commenator for MSNBC and one very humble guy And Kerrey, Joseph USN) RVN who is former Senator J "Bob" Kerrey from Nebraska and a Navy Seal.


This guy was a member of the 442nd All Japanese Regiment who did some good things in Italy during WW2 and here is one of many of those brave soldiers who endured a lot in the war and at home: Sakato, George (USA) - WWII